


A Dragon's Promise

by windsoflengend



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Overlord - Maruyama Kugane & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26960032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windsoflengend/pseuds/windsoflengend
Summary: Player [Libelle Theldred Aquanis] expected to be forcefully ejected from YGGDRASIL after the countdown ended. Instead, she finds herself in a land called Fodlan where magic is real and her old body long gone, replaced by her avatar. A land where her guildmate and friend [Sothis] is worshipped as a Goddess.Crossposted on ff.net under legendary stvsrt. Will update tags with characters as they appear.
Relationships: Sothis (Fire Emblem) & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. A Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Overlord, Fire Emblem, nor any of the other series which I may or may not make references to in this fic.

**Player [Libelle Theldred Aquanis] has logged in. Welcome back to YGGDRASIL! The countdown to the server shutdown is at 5:40:00.**

"Libby! You came just in time. Here equip this gear!"

Before I could take in the familiar sight of our simple guildhall, [Sothis] had already bombarded my notifications with item transfers. Arcane Knight's Breastplate, Poseidon's Harpoon, and a… Ring of Mana Restoration? "Is this a proposal just for me? Jumping straight past the dating phase huh." The corners of my lips twitch as I try to keep a straight face, but ultimately I fail and laugh aloud when [Sothis] begins to sputter.

"Y-YOU nevermind, ugh! I'll have you know that if I were to propose to anyone it would definitely not be here in this boring guild hall." Sothis jerks her back to me so quickly that her wild green locks smack her face. I manage to stifle my giggle this time although I'm sure she knows of my own amusement by how quickly she begins to scroll through the guild inventory menu.

As she shakes her free hand dismissively, no doubt finding whatever she was looking for, she sighs, "That equipment was left to you by [UnsacredBlacksmith]..."

"He came back? By how much time did I miss him? I know that he's been super busy since he and his wife had their first child."

"You missed him by 15 or so minutes. I was just as surprised as you were since it had been a few months since he had last been online. He told me that he had used all of his data crystals to forge a few items, but never had the time until now to deliver them to us. He ended up saying good-bye after clearing out all of his inventory and leaving here." [Sothis] sighs as she traces her fingers along a set of robes she pulled out of guild storage.

By appearance alone I could already tell that the flowing set of purple robes inlaid with golden embroidery was a [Divine]-Class set, likely meant to amplify [Sothis]'s use of Divine and Arcane-type spells given how [UnsacredBlacksmith] tended to specialize his works on an individual basis. My own set of gifted equipment was of no less quality, and I sighed.

"It's a shame I missed thanking him in person. He did so much for this guild."

[Sothis] nods in agreement although preoccupied with her own status screen. I glance at my own and a quick swipe at my inventory menu enabled me to view my new equipment's status:

**Arcane Knight's Breastplate**

**Equipment Class:** [Legendary]

 **Equipment Effect:** Increases magic resistance by 30% when equipped and physical resistance by 20% when equipped. Boosts the crit rate of Magic Attacks.

 **Equipment Description:** This breastplate is made from the fabled Lunar Adamantite metal. It was once said that this armor received the blessing of a Moon Goddess's wish to protect her beloved knight.

**Poseidon's Harpoon**

**Weapon Class:** [Divine]

 **Weapon Effect:** Greatly boosts water and wind attribute attacks. This weapon can be thrown and recalled to the user using the [Recall] command. Allows the user to summon a magnitude of water proportional to MP stat with the [Summon Spring] command (Cooldown: 24 hours).

 **Weapon Description:** This legendary harpoon was once favored by the God of Seas, Poseidon, has the power to call upon storms and bless desiccated lands with divine waters.

**Ring of Mana Restoration [Custom]**

**Equipment Class:** [Divine]

 **Equipment Effect:** Recovers 5% of total MP every minute. If the user possesses the racial-class [Leviathan] the following benefits will be incurred: Increases MP recovery rate when using Water-Attribute spells to 7% every minute. Eliminates cooldown for Water-Attribute spells of Tier 8 and lower.

 **Equipment Description:** This once [Legendary]-Class Ring of Restoration ascended to even greater splendor when embedded with a soul shard of a Leviathan. It's said that those of Leviathan's bloodline can unlock its' true power.

"Holy. Shit." While I was anticipating one of the items left by [UnsacredBlacksmith] to be Arcane Knight's Breastplate because it was the remaining piece of the armor set which he had helped me farm for, the Poseidon's Harpoon and the Ring of Mana Restoration perfectly fit my build.

"Holy shit, indeed." [Sothis] chimed in from where she stood. In the time I took to gape at my new equipment she had already changed into her new mage robes. The emerald green eyes and hair of her avatar surprisingly complemented the purples and gold of the mage dress she wore. The pink and white ribbons tied in her hair brought the entire look together nicely, making her seem like an elegant goddess who decided to grace the Earth with her presence. Although… the elegance of her form only belies the strength of her dragon-form.

After equipping her favored staff, [Sothis] walked over to the world map which sprawled across a large table at the end of our guild hall. Her fingers traced over the rolling plains, mountains, forests, and lakes which made up most of Midgard where many of the Human and Demi-Human races resided. The further one went from the Starter City, Midgar, the higher the level of mobs and terrain one would encounter. The continent itself was surrounded by a sea which was the most dangerous area of all since one could accidentally trigger [Raid Boss: Jörmungandr] if they went far enough out.

Surprisingly, [Sothis]'s finger stopped and pointed to an area by the sea known for spawning [Scagols] which were praying-mantis-like creatures with a crystal caprice. The things were deceptively slow but extremely good at dealing instant-death attacks and were also excellent at using the sea for camouflage.

"Are we going on one final monster hunting expedition? I know that [Scagols] have a rare chance of dropping [Transparisteel]."

"No, it's going to be a surprise." [Sothis] smirked mischievously at me, sharp teeth peeking out from the corners of her lips as she smiled wider, "Gear up, Libby! We're going to speed-run through Midgard before it's too late!"

Both of us knew that neither of our builds were meant for prolonged bursts of speed, but I'm sure that we could come up with some way to smash our way through the mobs and heteromorphic PK'ers to the end of the map. [Sothis] was always a better planner after all.

* * *

**2:32:45**

"Are you sure this is going to work… and not get us instant-banned by the Mods?" I nervously ask. [Sothis] borrowed an abandoned boat once used by some NPCs in the river-side town we were currently on the outskirts of. She had me carry it too, out of the water and into a… field?

"Oh I'm sure it will work, I saw some ViewTubers pull this trick off before! Besides it's literally the last day of the server, I doubt the Mods give a crap at this point" she huffed before puffing out her chest in pride at finding a way for us to cross half of the continent in less than two hours before pointing a finger at the boat. "Now then. [Stasis]. Hit that boat with everything you've got!"

As the magic washed over us the boat and our surroundings became encased in a yellow hue. Normally [Sothis] used this magic to freeze our enemies as I beat the crap out of them, but now I would be using my newly acquired [Divine]-Class weapon for a boat of all things... But I'm sure [Sothis] was having me do this for a reason. Might as well get to work.

"[Mist Fang]! [Spiral Surge]! [Vapor Rush]! [Drowning Pulse]! [FALCON P-]"

"That's enough Libby, Jump on NOW!" [Sothis] yelled as she pulled me onto the boat right as the [Stasis] spell ended. She quickly hooked her arm around the mast while using her free hand to urge me to do likewise. Although at first glance, it seems like my attacks surprisingly did no damage to the boat. Was this a test for a new way to use [Stasis] as a form of defense?

"What was this supposed to do agai-EEEEEKKK!" WHY ARE WE FLYING! OH SHIT, OH SHI-

* * *

**0:19:42**

"Libby."

"Already on it." I quickly got used to the sensation of hurtling through the air after the first few [Stasis] jumps since it wasn't much worse than the excitement of going on a roller coaster in one of the many amusement park simulations on the VR-Net. I shake my head to clear my thoughts as the sandy shore below rapidly approaches us.

To land without taking fall damage, I would use my [Water Manipulation] ability to generate enough water to cradle our descent before repeating the process of [Sothis] casting [Stasis] while I used one of my stronger physical attacks to launch us into the air. After catching the boat, this time I simply dispersed the water I summoned and hopped off. [Sothis] followed without a beat and pointed to a nearby cave.

"The fastest way to the cove would be through that cave. Unfortunately, I was only able to secure one minimap from the auction so we must be cautious and stay together." she sighs, while glancing back at me.

It's a bit surprising that [Sothis] of all people wasn't able to get an item at the auction with how savvy she normally was at procuring items. However, the more pressing matter was that we couldn't stay here on this beach. I could already see [Gallserpents] and [Scagols] starting to spawn. I turned so that my back was facing [Sothis], one free arm stretched back while the other equipped [Posieden's Harpoon]. With nary a moment to delay [Sothis] quickly hopped on, wrapping slim arms around my neck before casting [Haste] and [Quickened Pulse] on me.

**[Haste] and [Quickened Pulse] will cool down after 5 minutes have passed.**

**0:15:25**

I dashed forward, my surroundings blurring from the yellow of the sandy beach to the darkness of the cave. [Sothis] quickly solved that issue with a cast of [Torchlight] and the darkness gave way to glittering crystal walls which reflected varying shades of sapphire blue.

"Go down this pathway and make a right at the second hallway." [Sothis] spoke as her eyes scanned our surroundings. "While it may take a bit longer than the other pathways, we'll encounter fewer enemies."

"We've already encountered some." before I could dash to the second entryway five [Scagols] made their presence known. Two used their claws to cling to the ceiling while one charged me head-on. The other two converged towards me from the sides. Might as well test out my lance's capabilities now since there won't be any opportunity later. "[Summon Spring]."

A geyser of water erupted from the lance. Using [Water Manipulation] enabled me to send a third of it towards the ceiling where it converged on two of our enemies. While not strong enough to knock them down, it was enough water to envelop both of the monsters. [Sothis] raised one of her hands to cast the 6th Tier spell [Scald], which quickly turned the cool water into molten-like steam hot enough to melt the caprice of both of the mantis-like creatures.

While [Sothis] took care of our enemies from above, I directed the remaining two-thirds of the water in the form of a wave, sweeping our remaining enemies into a nearby cavern. With our path cleared, I continued rushing forward, making a sharp right turn, while at the same time using my lance to cast [Spiral Surge], a 7th Tier spell aimed at drawing water in the form of a drill around a lance while also boosting the user's speed and attack in proportion to the skill level of [Water Manipulation]. With no hesitation, I jabbed forward, stabbing a [Cavern Hawk] through its chest, the force of the blow directly turning it into pixels.

**0:12:20**

"Make a left after the third opening. There will be an exit we can utilize to reach the cove… be prepared to jump. [Thoron]."

A blast of lighting from [Sothis]'s fingertips lit up the cave with arcs of blue, while also blowing a hole clean through a [Scagol]. The normally 4th Tier spell became greatly amplified with the bonus from [Sothis]'s [Master of the Arcane] class. I reach the third opening with a burst of speed and can see the light of the sun gleaming from the exit right before us. A sharp whistling noise reaches my ears, and almost instinctively I hop backward, right before a claw swipes through space [Sothis] and I once occupied.

"A [Scagol Queen] hmmm. We'll just have to show her the way to defeat." [Sothis] states while calmly gazing at the large insect currently blocking our path. It stretches out a pair of wings and claws made out of sapphire blue crystal similar to that of the cavern surrounding us.

"Afterall she is facing both of us." I smile. A quick glance at my hud shows 2 minutes left of [Haste]'s and [Quickened Pulse]'s effects. While [Haste] increased my speed, [Quicked Pulse] shortened the cooldown time of my skills. I flexed my lance before casting [Spiral Surge] once more, this time instead of using the magnitude of water to pierce, I used my [Water Manipulation] skill to direct most of the water towards surrounding the mini-boss.

"[Widen Magic] [Ice Pike]." Multiple ice spikes emerged around the [Scagol Queen] and accelerated towards the monster preventing it from advancing under the threat of [Sothis]'s magic. The remaining water was used to form a much smaller drill of water only covering the sharp curve of the harpoon's tip. Sothis gently tightened her arms around my neck, her own way of showing that she was ready, and I as I began to cast my own spell, [Sothis] merged her chain cast with my own.

"[Penetrate Magic] [Flowing Fang] [Minor Spiral Surge]."

"[Boost Magic] [Wind Blessing's Calling]."

A violent burst of wind magic also began to rapidly turn around my lance, joining the water already present. The roaring of the wind magic nearly deafened me but I didn't need to hear [Sothis]'s voice to know that she was shouting along with me as we cast our joint-magic.

""[TEMPEST SPEAR]!"" With a hurl of my arm, the lance vaporized the remaining ice spikes the [Scagol Queen] failed to destroy in its' attempt to reach us. Undeterred by the danger approaching, it raised a claw casting a [Crystal Shield] large enough to surround its body, only for the [Tempest Spear] to rip through its shield. Without slowing down, the spear directly bisected the miniboss, violent wind magic blowing the rest of its body apart before condensing into crystals.

I quickly dashed forward using the [Recall] command to call my lance back to me and jumped off of the cliff.

**The effects of [Haste] and [Quickened Pulse] have ended.**

**00:10:25**

"[Group Fly]." [Sothis] quietly cast as she let go of my body to float beside me. The sound of waves crashing drew my eyes to the wide, blue sea before us. Before I could speak on how beautiful it was a notification appeared in the air before us.

**Congratulations Players [Sothis] and [Libelle Theldred Aquanis] for being the first to discover [Sea God's Cove]. As a reward, no enemies will spawn for the next ten minutes.**

"How cute." [Sothis] states before smiling at me, "I think this may be one of the first times the shitty devs have ever been nice to us. Come now, there's rarely an opportunity to enjoy the ocean without a dozen mobs spawning!" She floats down towards the shore and I follow quickly after her. It was exceedingly rare for YGGDRASIL to grant spawn-immunity to players, I'm honestly surprised that [Sothis] didn't gush upon it some more as she did when we encountered other odd events during our explorations. Then again my own reaction, or lack of, could also be considered rather muted for the event.

We both reach the sandy bay, with crystalline cliffs stretching out on both sides of the cove. Emerald green vines drape down the cliffsides and extend into the sparkling sea waters, while white sea foam washed up on the beach.

**00:08:50**

"Surprisingly, I think this is the first time we came to Midgard without having to trash PK'ers…" I sigh while kicking my feet into the shallow surf. The setting sun left Midgard's sea with a shimmering golden hue. I loved swimming in YGGDRASIL, sea monsters be damned but there was no time to dive into the deep blue waters.

"Was it not your idea for us to adopt dragon builds? You knew that choosing a heteromorphic race would be like painting a target on our backs" [Sothis] interrupts my thoughts as she playfully raises an eyebrow at me. "Although, I do admit that adding dragons as an update to playable heteromorphic races is one of the better choices the shitty devs made. Transforming into dragon form never gets old!"

"It really doesn't!" I chuckle, "Fortunately my own build lets me swim as much as I please. Do you think the oceans IRL once looked like this?" I look towards the horizon as the growing dusk of sunset begins to show hints of the starry sky. Days in YGGDRASIL progressed far more rapidly than those in the real world.

I walk further out into the ocean, letting the cool water reach my knees. [Sothis] falls into step beside me, long and wild green hair gently swaying in the cool breeze as her own gaze settles on the stars. She shifts her purple and gold robes before sighing.

"Who knows with all of the chemical dumpings that's been going for the past few decades. In my own city, it's been even longer since people were able to go outside without wearing gas masks. I wish that I could just wipe away all of the damage those corporations caused to our own world."

**00:04:30**

"I wish for that just as much as you do… " while disappointment at the state of our own world seeped into me the pressing countdown left me with a pang of even greater sadness. Today may very well be the last time [Sothis] and I ever speak with each other. [Sothis] likely realizes the same, as we fall into a companionable silence.

She plays with the ornate golden threads and ornaments of her robes, uncharacteristically fidgeting in contrast to the prideful act she normally put on. Her hand reaches up towards her holographic menu, perhaps she's going to log out now!? She can't, not yet!

I never brought up exchanging contact information in the past due to my anxiety about being rejected. In the real world, years of intense schooling and working to pay off debts left me without much social interaction. I brace myself for the worse, and struggle to fish out a smile to shoot out my proposal. "I'm glad to have met you though [Sothis]. These past 2 years have been a blast! I wish that this time could have lasted a bit longer and I'm sure that exchanging contact information may be asking for too much…-WOAH!"

**500 damage dealt to [Libelle Theldred Aquanis] by player [Sothis]**

Surprisingly, Sothis looks almost frustrated, "Enough! Libby, we've been playing together for the past 3 years, why wouldn't I want to meet you IRL too?!" My shock must've been written all over my face because [Sothis] quickly lost her frustration and began to laugh. She twirls me around in a snippet of a short dance as though she didn't just smack me in the head.

Although the pain filters only let me feel a small portion of the pain from the hit, I can't help but laugh along with her in our odd dance, nervousness forgotten. The corners of her eyes crinkle with her wide smile, "Fellow female players are super rare and you know we can always play another MMORPG together! I heard Final Testimony XIV is pretty good right now…" She twirls me again in our impromptu dance and I can't help but dance with her just as earnestly despite my own clumsy steps.

**00:02:15**

Sothis stops our dance before reaching out her hand towards mine. I clasp my own in hers, meeting her eyes, and she smiles once more before speaking. "I'm Hajime Mirai, but you can just call me Mirai!"

"Alright, Mirai, I'm Libelle Thompson, but you can just call me Libby!"

Mirai laughs, although I could tell that wasn't actually laughing at me. "Libby that's just like you! You can't just have your real name in your gamer tag like that! You always were super trusting, I'll have to be sure to watch out for you in the future."

"I'm looking forward to that." I laugh with her, letting go of our clasped hands.

**00:01:00**

"Well, there is something else you should be looking forward to…" Mirai excitedly goes into her inventory menu swiping rapidly "Ahhh where did I put that thing! You know what I'll PM you my contact info first."

I quickly do the same and send her a similar PM, although as the countdown presses on Mirai becomes even more frantic. I can't help but be curious about what exactly Mirai is looking for. "What are-"

With a hurrah, Mirai quickly pulls out a rectangular box. She touches her own character's necklace before transferring the item over to me.

**00:00:30**

**Necklace of Promise (½)**

**Equipment Class:** [Legendary]

 **Equipment Effect:** Increases Magic Avoid and Hit Rate by 10 percent. Has a rare chance of protecting its user from one lethal blow. When in the presence of its companion necklace will glow a deep blue.

 **Equipment Description:** This necklace is one of a two-piece set. It was once said that an Archmage enchanted this item so that two lost individuals may find their way to each other once more.

"I know that the game is going to end soon. But accepting this necklace means that we have to meet again IRL no matter what!"

I quickly equip it and in the last dying rays of daylight both of our necklaces glow a faint blue.

"It's a promise then, Mirai."

**00:00:05**

As the countdown reaches its end, Mirai sighs and steels an expression of resolve before beginning to… shout?

"You know, Libby I-"

**00:00:00**

"Huh?" In the blink of an eye, there is no more knee-level ocean water. Mirai is gone and I never got to hear what she tried to tell me before YGGDRASIL cut her off, but more importantly, wherever I am is not the [Sea God's Cove].

Instead, a Red Canyon stretches out before me and the [Necklace of Promise] no longer emits its' familiar blue hue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, If you made it to the end then thank you for taking the time to read my first fanfiction! I'm really looking forward to building the Overlord and Fire Emblem lore in this story and I hope that my readers find following Libelle's and possibly Sothis's journey enjoyable.
> 
> I would also like to give a HUGE thank you to DestructionDragon360 for helping me with the timeline and lore! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
> 
> I'll be posting the second and 3rd chapters along with this one, so triple update for the ao3 buds :).


	2. Worlds Apart

"...Mirai?" I whispered softly as my hand met the empty air of the space where she once stood. My other hand tightly clutched the [Necklace of Promise] where it rested at my side. I knew that the lack of the necklace's soft blue light meant that Mirai was nowhere near, but the shock of the sudden change in environment flustered me. A preliminary glance at my surroundings revealed my standing in the ruins of some kind of city.

Scattered dilapidated buildings and crumbling walls made up some of the scenery although further study showed that I was on some kind of plateau. There was a bridge to the south of my location, and in the distance I could see more canyons and highlands all of which held a rusty-colored hue under the sun's rays.

I couldn't recall any locations in YGGDRASIL which were remotely similar to this area. Additionally, the lack of stars in the sky brought my attention to the fact that it was an entirely different time of day. Right before the server shutdown, dusk was well into decline under the approaching night.

Perhaps this is a surprise demo of YGGDRASIL 2.0? No. That was impossible. The gaming company which owned YGGDRASIL was well into bankruptcy, they wouldn't have the funding to maintain another entirely new server. Although, it didn't hurt to test the theory just in case.

"[GM-Call]."

"[Gate: Guild Hall]."

"[Emergency Logout]."

None of the commands were working. Wherever I was was certainly not in the game and the air was far too clean to be anywhere on Earth. Even if I was somehow in one of the arcology domes built by the wealthy, there was no way for them to replicate the sun or leave so much land unused. Regardless of where I thought I was, what was more important was finding-

"Well, well… what do we have ere'?"

"Looks like a noble lass came all of way out to the Red Canyon, with no escort too?"

With how immersed I was in my speculations, I completely missed the sound of footsteps approaching me. The two sounded like generic YGGDRASIL bandits, but perhaps I could get some information from them about what was going on. I shift, leisurely placing the [Necklace of Promise] around my neck before turning around to face them.

Unsurprisingly, both of them were dressed in ripped furs and leathers. One of them hefted a woodcutter's axe as he flashed me a smile which promised unwelcome outcomes. The other flashed a rusted iron lance and smirked with enough malice to match his companion.

"O' this one will definitely fetch us a good ransom, look at er' face!"

"No _look_ at er' ears, are those fins!? How'd you miss those scales on her cheeks too!"

Lance-bandit quickly backpedaled in shock at my appearance. Was it that odd? Then again it was only another piece of evidence pointing towards this land not being YGGDRASIL. Bandits there weren't strayed by heteromorphic races.

Axe-bandit's eyes widened for a moment as he also took in my appearance. To his credit he recovered quickly, letting out a hearty guwaff. "She may not be a noble, but that's just another way to raise er' price don't ya think? Think of how many rations we can get from Kostas for bringing er' back!"

"I digress, you won't be bringing me anywhere." I sigh, choosing to ignore their previous conversation. "If you tell me where exactly this 'Red Canyon' is, I'll forgive your earlier threats."

"Hah, this one thinks she can reason with a bandit!" Axe-bandit begins to step towards me, his eyes holding traces of resentment. "Whether yer human or not, ya sure talk like a noble. Lookin' down at us with yer fancy words and armor."

His partner also begins to approach me with his lance at the ready, less nervous but more emboldened now that the shock of my appearance had worn off.

"I'll show you that yer words mean NOTHING!" Suddenly, Axe-bandit shouts and dashes forward swinging the blunt end of his axe towards my head.

His partner closes in from another angle with the intent of sweeping my legs from beneath me with his lance. Both of them are slow. Painfully so.

"[Aqua Bind]." A rope of water manifests in air before me and jets out, wrapping itself around the arms of the bandits while looping to tie their torsos down as well. The force of the spell causes them both to crash against each other before falling to the ground along with their weapons.

"What in nine hells kind of magic is this!?"

"I knew it. I knew I shouldn't have followed you out here!"

Both of the bandits yelp in shock. I kick their weapons to the side and decide to give questioning another shot.

"Where is this 'Red Canyon'? Surely you know what country or state this is in."

The now non-lance bandit almost causes his partner's face to roll on the dusty ground as he twists to answer me. "Yer in neutral territory of Fodlan, a one day journey from Garreg Mach Monastery!"

"Garreg Mach Monastery?"

"Ya know, where the Church of Serios resides-agh!" non-lance bandit yelps in pain as non-axe bandit elbowed him in a struggle to escape. I tighten the rope of water to make them both stay more still.

"The Church of Serios... What is that?"

This time it's the non-axe bandit who answers my question, frustration clearly ripping across his face as he tries to muscle his way out of his bindings. "I guess it's not surprising that a monster like ya doesn't know what the church is you BIT-" Suddenly he pales and quiets.

Non-lance bandit who looked as though he was about to have an aneurysm from what his partner nearly said turned just as pale. Both of them seemed to be looking at the… sky?

A piercing shriek echoed throughout the canyon before a large shadow began to rapidly grow on the ground around us. I quickly flung my body to the side, rolling to a stop and back onto my feet. The two bandits were gone. No, not gone. I could hear their screaming. Looking towards the source of the horrid sounds revealed a hawk larger than a house and the pitiful bandits in its claws.

More shrieking began to erupt as two more giga-hawks flew not from above, but from the canyon below the plateau I was on, both intent on tearing me to pieces.

"[Recall]."

I summon [Posiden's Harpoon] from my inventory, quickly casting [Drowning Pulse] once the harpoon was securely in my hands. A laser like beam of blue light shot forward from my lance hitting the giga-bird nearest to me in its gaping maw. The force of the beam blew its head clean off, and I almost smil- no, time to dodge.

I hop to the right, avoiding the claws of the second giga-bird as it attempts to snatch me up. It flies back up into the sky. Before spreading its wings out as far as possible and using its return stroke to send two massive gales of wind at me.

Unfortunately for me, the edge of the canyon was behind me. I stab [Posiden's Harpoon] into the ground and brace myself. The gust of wind magic hits me. Surprisingly, it only ruffles my hair and the robes I wear beneath my armor. My magic resistance must be higher than its attack stat.

It screeches in frustration, this time attempting to dive bomb me again. I run forward, yanking [Poisden's Harpoon] out of the ground and using my momentum to slide on the ground beneath the monster as it missed its attack.

I push myself off the ground. With another cast of [Drowning Pulse] I blow a hole straight through its back, causing it to shriek and collapse mid-flight onto the ground with enough force to cause dust to billow around it.

Examining the empty sky showed that the third and final giga-bird flew off with its meal. A part of myself felt a bit guilty for tying the bandits up since it was more than likely what got them caught and eaten in the first place. Another part of myself felt a mix of satisfaction and indifference to the fate that they met.

Regardless, the possible threat of more of those giant birds showing up drew my attention away from my emotions. I go to pick up the bandits' rusty iron lance and axe. Both seemed as though they would be [Low] class items in YGGDRASIL settings. A quick use of the [Analyze] skill confirmed that prediction.

"[Inventory]."

Surprisingly using the command didn't result in a menu popping up before me. Instead a dark portal appeared before me. Placing the iron axe in it resulted in the axe disappearing from sight.

The portal remained open and experimentally, I stuck a hand inside. Almost as though there was a catalog, I was able to sense various items within it. Thinking about the iron axe resulted in its familiar weight appearing in my hand upon removal from the portal.

With my experimentation done, I put the axe back in the portal but keep the lance, instead putting [Posiden's Harpoon] away. My encounter with the bandits taught me enough to know that both my appearance and equipment are going to need a change in this odd world.

"Awoooooo!"

The sound of wolves howling began to resonate throughout the canyon. A glance at the bleeding out corpses of the two giga-birds reminded me that I became sidetracked once again from the issue at hand.

It was too unsafe to remain here, with monsters amok. While I could handle them if they were at the same level as the giant birds, who knows what else may pop out if I stayed here long enough.

I choose a path opposite of the direction the wolves howls are coming from. With luck I may be able to avoid them completely.

* * *

It had been four or five hours since I left the canyon. The path I walked on led me first through a mountain range and then to a forest. I haven't encountered any other people so far, although the increasingly flattening and maintained road led me to believe that I was getting closer to civilization.

With the opportunity presented, rather than my usual armor set, I chose to equip a lower [Relic] class set of mage robes along with a hooded cape, a leather bag of holding, and leather boots. At the cost of stat penalties I was also able to use the [Morph] skill to adopt a more human appearance, fins and scales now gone. While I considered changing it further I wanted to give Mirai, or I suppose Sothis an easier way of looking for me. If she ended up in an equally odd place as I did she would be more likely to go by her player name than her real name considering how personal most players held sharing real names.

The sounds of hooves clacking on the road ahead of me drew my attention. Before long, a horse-drawn carriage appeared, a man carting what seemed to be various goods in barrels and wooden boxes. He was also accompanied by a squadron of mercenaries, some of whom rode in the cart with him, and the rest which were a mix of cavalry and infantry on opposite sides of the cart.

Their formation was simple but effective for keeping watch on the road, with one of the cavaliers asking the peddler to slow down while the others maintained caution.

"Hail traveler! Where are you heading to? It's rare to see people using this old road. Especially those who travel alone."

I sigh removing my hood and meeting eyes of the peddler. He was a middle aged man of a stout build, although with how brightly he smiled he looked far more youthful. The mercenary sitting in the wagon behind him sighs before shaking his head, likely exasperated with his client's friendliness.

"Good day. I've been traveling this land but lost my map and some other provisions after an encounter with some awfully large birds. I've been following this road in the hopes of reaching a town for restocking and finding my bearings."

"Those awfully large birds you ran into sound like demonic beasts. How'd you escape from them on your own?" One of the mercenaries steps forward protectively. He probably thinks that I am a decoy for some kind of ambush.

"My magic was enough to protect myself." I meet his gaze evenly deciding to test the waters. The bandit's words from earlier seemed to imply that magic existed in this land.

"A mage then… well you certainly have the looks of one." Whatever he sees in my gaze causes him to return to his previous position where he nods at the peddler, although he continues to remain vigilant.

Seeing the leader of his mercenaries give tentative approval, the peddler flashes me another smile, this time with an offer.

"Well I would say you're in luck. I do carry traveling maps and provisions, if you have the coin to spare of course!"

I nod in assent, and the peddler hops down from his seat and into the back of his cart nimble in spite of his age. A moment or two passes, before he returns, this time with a scroll, a pack and a mercenary carrying a medium-sized crate.

First he unfurls the scroll, showing a map of a continent I've never seen before. He points to an area between two smaller mountains on the map.

"Right now we are located here in the Magdred region. Continuing on this path will lead you to the Adel River. Following that river west will allow you to reach Gaspard territory first and later Arianrod."

"Thank you. Might I ask what kinds of provisions you have?"

While I could survive on the YGGDRASIL foods in my inventory, most of them gave stat boosts which I would rather keep for emergencies. _Also, keeping rations on me would keep people from questioning where I got such well prepared foods while on the road_.

"I have dried meats and breads, although I do carry meads from the Fraldarius region as well. I also have a carrying pack with a food preservation spell on it, perfect for keeping rations fresh."

From the way one of the mercenaries eyed the bag with envy, I could tell that it was valuable and valuable went hand in hand with expensive. Regardless, if my YGGDRASIL gold isn't acceptable as currency then I'm sure that I could barter with some of the random, lower class items in my inventory.

"How much for a week's worth of provisions with the map? I don't need the pack."

"The map would be 600 gold and the provisions 15 gold for a total of 615 gold." The peddler smiles as though he hit the jackpot, looking undeterred by my rejection of the preservation bag. He's probably upselling me right now. However, the information he gave me earlier was indeed valuable.

"Would you accept this as payment?" I reach into my robes and pull out a YGGDRASIL gold coin to test the waters. If this world and YGGDRASIL had the same currency system then I would play it off as a joke, but I needed to know if the money I had was usable.

"I've never seen such a coin before, may I inspect it?"

The peddler settles his gaze on the coin with a mix of curiosity and appraisal. I hand the silver colored coin to him. Although it was called a "gold" coin in YGGDRASIL it was more like platinum, with carvings of a Valkyrie and the World Tree on its respective front and back sides.

"AH!" his sudden shout brings me out of my musings. "Why this, this is a Goddess Crown!" He quickly pulls out a magnifying glass from his robes to further examine the coin, shoving the map into the already full hands of the poor mercenary who stood beside him. The other mercenaries exchanged knowing looks at each other as the peddler's behavior became more fervent before shrugging. They were likely used to this.

He came closer to me lowering his voice, but excitement clear in his posture as he waved the coin around. "I've never seen one in such impeccable condition! The Church of Seiros would pay good money for this, where did you get it!?"

I frown at him, with my hopes for a quick transaction thrown off the rails. With a sigh, I prepare a bullshit explanation, "As a mage scholar, my area of concentration lies in researching Fodlan's history and ancient magical tools. In my most recent expedition I found that coin and was able to restore it to a better condition although I ended up using all of my materials to do so."

Surprisingly he nods along to my nonsense. "I'll give you a Large Bullion for this in addition to the map and supplies!"

_He really ate that up, huh._

My lack of expression must unnerve him because he quickly adds more, "N-No, I'll give you two! That's worth 10,000 gold coins!" He whispers all of this quickly, likely because he didn't want his mercenary escort hearing the details of this transaction. Although, the sudden price jump must've meant that he was trying to downsell me this time.

"Sure, but give me one large bullion, and the rest in regular gold coins." It was better to have change to work with.

He nods and rushes back to his wagon, returning with another mercenary and a wooden box. He signals the two mercenaries carrying my payment to hand it over to me. Fortunately, none of them look perturbed at how I was able to store the coins and map in my slightly smaller bag of holding. If this world had mages capable of enchanting bags with preservation spells, space expansion spells also shouldn't be too far fetched for them either.

The peddler waves the two mercenaries off as we complete our transaction and steps forward to offer a handshake which I accept. "My name is Darius Bayard. I mostly operate out of Garreg Mach's marketplace, if you ever restore any other ancient coins like this one _do not_ hesitate to contact me. In fact, we may even be able to forge a partnership with that restoration method of yours! "

"My apologies, but I'll have to decline. I'm looking for someone very important to me at the moment. I will keep your offer in mind on one condition though." I declined his offer, after all finding Sothis was far more important to me. Besides, from his words earlier it seemed as though YGGDRASIL gold was of significance to the Church of Serios. Being at Garreg Mach when he goes to sell it would only raise more questions on my end. Hopefully, I would be able to leverage this transaction to keep him quiet for a while.

"Yes, name your condition!"

"Do not speak of me when you go to sell the Goddess Crown to the Church, I would rather not have to deal with additional attention when I have my own research to focus on. If you tell them that you found it somewhere obscure like the Red Canyon, I'm sure that we can both avoid malicious attention."

Darius seems to realize the meaning behind my words as he adopts a more serious expression. With how valuable the coin seemed to be to both the Church and in monetary value, spreading news that there may possibly be more would only attract wolves to not only me but also himself.

He nods in understanding. "It seems that I let my merchant's spirit get ahold of me. I'll be sure to handle this business with the utmost confidentiality."

"I'll hold you to it. Good day." I nod and begin to walk on my way. With a tacit understanding in place, Darius wishes me safe travels while turning to order his idling mercenaries to get ready to move out.

When Darius's caravan is long out of sight I pull out another YGGDRASIL gold coin from my inventory.

_A Goddess Crown huh?_

* * *

One night and half a day after my encounter with Darius, I reached the Adel River at the edge of the Magdred territory.

Although it was called a river, the point where I was at looked more like a ond which was being fed by a small stream. From the map I could tell that as I traveled further west along the river it would expand and grow to a more respectable size.

The grass crunched under my feet as I left the main road and made my way closer to the pond. The waters were calm enough to allow me to see my reflection.

Teal colored hair. Not black.

Bright golden eyes. Not brown.

Tanned skin free of blemishes. Lacking gauntness.

Looking at myself confirmed that I was truly in the body of my avatar. The longer I stared at my reflection the more I began to wonder about what happened to my real body and if returning home would mean remaining in this one.

_Would anyone back home even recognize me?_

_Plip!_

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of water rippling near the small, but rocky pondbank. Out of curiosity, I tap my own finger onto the gently swaying surface.

A wealth of information surges into my mind. The frog which just dove into the pond. The two fish flitting around each other. A water snake, lazily biding its time at the pond's edge. I could feel them all… _why though?_

As the ripples faded, the lack of fins and scales in my reflection reminded me why.

When I first started playing YGGDRASIL I chose to adopt the [Madraconus] racial class after meeting its requirements. Becoming what was essentially a sea dragon gave many racial skills related to water, including the [Sea Dominion] skill. In-game it reduced damage from aquatic enemies while also boosting my stats when in contact with bodies of water, ocean water or not. The connection I felt to the pond- no, not just the pond, the river too- must be a side effect of that skill.

Removing my hand from the surface ends the connection.

I shift my body from being crouched by the water's edge to leisurely sitting on the grass at the edge of the pondbank. A breeze swept through, gently causing the grass to roll and the water to ripple once more. The beauty of it was far more real than even the nature within YGGDRASIL.

 _This isn't a bad place to take a break_.

Traveling for a night and half of a day, while not tiring in this body, did make me hungry. I take out some dried bread and meat, idly inspecting the food. In the real world, only the rich could afford food of this quality. In between gaming sessions, I would drink nutrient packets. While I was able to consume food in YGGDRASIL, it was meant more for stat-boosting rather than taste.

I rip the bread in half and place the meat in between it to make a rudimentary sandwich. With my meal in order, I quickly take my first bite.

The bread was stale and the meat salty. Even so, compared to anything I had eaten before they were delicious. _More_.

I didn't realize how hungry I was until I scarfed through a third of my provisions and forced myself to stop. If I continued eating then I would run out of food long before I reached my destination.

I pull out the map I purchased earlier to distract myself. Most of the settlements in the Magdred region, where I resided, were small hamlets scattered between mountain ranges and forests. Given how isolated many of them seemed, I doubted that I would be able to find valuable information in any of them. Following the Adel River led my eyes to Arianrod.

It was the largest city in the nearby regions and ideal for beginning my search for more information. Although... with how much I ate just now I would also have to make sure to stop at the capital of the Gaspard territory, Aberdeen, to resupply on the way.

I push myself up, stretching before glancing at the sun's position. I had enough daylight to reach Alberdeen before nightfall.

Onward then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the second chapter! I spent a lot of time debating about the sequencing of this one, so feedback would be appreciated.


	3. Downpour

Nightfall fell shortly before I reached Aberdeen. While it was called the capital of the Gaspard Territory, it was more of a smaller scale city. Stone walls stood proudly while the wooden gates on the road ahead of me remained shut. Two soldiers stood guard, lances poised and at the ready in case of danger. One of them orders me to stop a short distance before them.

"That's close enough traveler. Where are you coming from at this time of night?"

"I came from doing business in the Magdred territory."

"You'll have to be more specific than that. What kind of business did you do in Magdred and what kind of business do you intend to do here?"

A pang of annoyance rises from within me at his brusque tone. He sounded far too similar to the tone the upper management of the company I worked at used when threatening, no, _asking_ employees to add more hours onto their 18 hours per day work contracts. There was no option to refuse such questions when refusal would only lead to the loss of the job and starvation.

Meeting the guard's eyes reminded me that he wasn't the man I was thinking of. This was a land called Fodlan where corporations haven't destroyed the body and will of the Earth and the individual.

"I purchased some wares from the merchant Darius. I intend on resting here for a day or two to rest before continuing on to Arianrod."

At the mention of Darius, the previously silent guard tilts his head in recognition before nodding at his more vocal companion who speaks again.

"Very well then but we will be confiscating your lance during the duration of your stay in Aberdeen. When you are ready to depart you can retrieve it from the guard post at the Northern gate."

"Alright." The bandit's lance wasn't worth that much anyway. If I get into a scrap then I can use my [Inventory] to equip a different weapon or use magic in the worst case scenario.

One of the guards pulls on a lever to draw the door up after I hand over my lance. I walked inside, finally getting a full view of the inside of the city as the gate creaked close behind me.

Street lamps hung above the doorways of timber frame buildings, casting a soft orange glow onto the stone street. Fortunately, at this time of evening, there were still a few residents milling in the streets, likely heading to their homes after a long day of work. I call out to one of those closest to me.

"Excuse me, sir would you happen to know where the nearest inn is?"

The young man nods as he comes to a slow stop before me. With a puff of exertion, he adjusts the position of the large woolen sack on his shoulder to point at an intersection of streets further down the road.

"If you turn right at that corner, you'll find The Broken Breaker after a bit of walking. At this time of evening, you can't miss it."

"Where do I go after I tur-" Before I could ask him for some slightly better directions, he walked off, this time carrying the sack with two hands after a bit of fumbling. Eh, he was probably in a hurry. I shrug. For now, I'll make my way with his directions, if I get lost then I could always ask another person.

Following his directions further into the city later proves him correct.

"Graaaagh!"

A cacophony of shouts reaches my ears before a door is kicked open and a man thrown out onto the street ahead of me. After slamming into the ground he rolls in pain, clutching his stomach while expelling a mixture of groans and slurred curses.

A giant of a man strolls out as well. His brown tunic and white apron were freshly drenched with what smelled like alcohol. With every bit of ease, he lifts the fallen man by his shirt. The drunkard kicks his now airborne feet feebly but immediately stops his struggling after meeting the eyes of his captor.

"If you're going to cause trouble then don't come back. I put too much effort into my bar for you to bring your mess into it."

The giant drops the drunkard and watches the man stumble down the road. As he turns around to go back inside the bar he notices me.

"Well then, if you're a customer I hope that didn't scare you off lass. Most trouble makers aren't so bold as to try their hand at my establishment." Now that he was completely facing me I was able to see the scar which marred the right side of his face, but it did nothing to detract from his easy-going grin.

I flash him a small smile in return.

"Would this happen to be The Broken Breaker? I may not be a troublemaker, but perhaps I'll give my hand a try depending on the cards in yours."

He snorts, "I'll have you know that my deck includes a warm dinner, some damn good mead, and a clean bed!"

"That's exactly what I'm looking for, preferably in that order too."

I follow him into the tavern. Wooden tables were organized neatly at the center of the floor while a small stage for performances was to the right of the dining area. A glance to the left revealed a bar lined with wooden stools. Behind the bar, there was a neatly organized stack of barrels, all of which likely contained alcohol, along with some shelves of cutlery.

The tavern seemed to be filled to half of its capacity. Most of its patrons were either eating, drinking, or making idle chatter or a mixture of the three. Two barmaids make their rounds in the midst of the tavern floor, topping off drinks and serving freshly prepared food.

While some of the patrons glanced at the door after hearing it close behind the barkeep and I, the majority of them lost interest although some were slower to retract their gaze than others. It was probably due to a mix of my appearance and mage robes.

Most of the people I've encountered so far have been brunettes, blondes, and those who had varying shades of red hair. Although I did notice that there were quite a few odder colors prevalent as well, such as the pale lilac hair of one of the barmaids.

The aforementioned barmaid steps over and greets me with a smile in greeting before leading me over to an open seat at the bar.

"Yes!" A shout from a nearby table draws my attention. Three men were engrossed in a game of dice, cards, and money. The man who the shout originated from takes a gold coin from the pile of mostly silver and copper coins at the center of the table much to the disappointment of his companions. While I had plenty of gold coins, I carried neither copper nor silver coins on my person. I probably should've asked Darius more about the currency when I had the opportunity. Hopefully, I'll be able to rectify that during my stay here.

"Tonight we're serving Onion Gratin soup. For drinks, we have our homebrewed meads, one made from Noa fruits and the other from Albeinian berries. Our drinks are served in mugs, but we offer pitchers as well."

"I'll have one helping of Onion Gratin soup and a mug of Noa Fruit mead."

"Coming right up. Hey Earnest, the young lady wants a mug of Noa!" As she heads behind the bar and into the kitchen, she relays my order to the newly named barkeep, who reemerges from a backroom this time with a clean shirt and apron. He reaches beneath the bar to grab a mug and pops open the spout of a barrel with ease.

"I'm sure you heard dear Lina, but my name is Earnest and I'm the owner of this tavern! I've haven't seen you around here before. What's your name and where are you from?" He places the drink on the counter in front of me before leaning back against a shelf.

"My name is Libelle. I'm from…"

Although I had a map, I didn't know enough about Fodlan and its three regions well enough to claim that I was from any of them. My perturbation at his question must've shown on my face because Earnest backed off with a smile.

"If you don't want to answer you don't have to, although if you've been traveling I would be happy to hear a tale or two. Managing this tavern leaves little room for adventure."

"Adventure huh, I can do that… I recently saw the Red Canyon. Although it was filled with demonic beasts, the plateaus and mountains were quite beautiful. The ruins although covered in dust were also impressive."

"Zanado huh, legends say that an ancient civilization once lived there… you went there alone?" He raises an eyebrow in slight disbelief.

"I use magic to defend myself." I shrug and raise my mug to get a better look at my drink. It was a deep red in color and smelled slightly sweet. I take a sip of it and cringe at its bitter taste.

Earnest laughs.

"Never had alcohol before, huh?"

"No…" I take another sip. At the second taste the bitterness eased out, and the sweetness of the drink became more apparent. YGGDRASIL also had alcoholic drinks, but none of them could compare to this one.

 _In YGGDRASIL it was also impossible to get drunk_. I wonder if it were even possible for me to get drunk in this body, now that I wasn't in YGGDRASIL.

When using [Morph] my stats and resistances decrease in accordance with how human-like I make my appearance. Perhaps alcohol poisoning also falls under my poison resistance skill.

A small part of myself was tempted to test the theory but now was neither the time nor the setting.

"It actually tastes rather good now that I'm more used to the aftertaste."

"I'm glad to hear you say that. I worked rather hard on getting the flavor of my homebrews just right." Another customer further down the bar calls out to Earnest for a refill.

"Enjoy your drink, lass!"

After Earnest leaves, Lina arrives with my bowl of stew, a spoon, and a piece of bread. It smells delicious. I thank her after she sets my food down on the counter. Surprisingly the stew wasn't the mixture of onions and water I expected. The base soup was made up of browned onions with chunks of some kind fish that was stewed until it became white and tender. A layer of cheese topped the broth. I dipped my spoon into the soup and was delighted to see that the cheese topping had also melted into the broth.

The first spoonful was utterly delicious and tasted even better than the rations I ate earlier for lunch. I dip the bread in as well and by the time Earnest returns my bowl is empty.

"Heh, I've never seen someone eat so quickly, I'm guessing you liked the fo-"

"More please." I hand him my empty bowl. Idly I realize that I managed to get some broth on my face during my inhalation of the soup. Earnest laughs and hands the bowl off to Lina who was once again on her way to the kitchen. I reach into my traveling bag and pull out a handkerchief from my [Inventory] to clean my face. While I was sure I had enough money to pay for the meal and a stay at this tavern it was best to confirm the prices now while Earnest was before me.

"How much do I owe for this meal and a two nights stay?"

"That would be 4 silvers for the two bowls of stew, 4 coppers for the mead, and another 6 silvers for the two nights stay."

"So 10 silvers and 4 coppers then... I only have gold pieces."

"That's fine, after all, ten of silver makes a gold. I'll just need two of those from you."

I pass the two golds over to him. He reaches into a pouch on his belt and counts some copper and silver coins before handing me my change of 9 silvers and 6 coppers. If one gold was ten silver coins, then he must have used 1 silver coin of the second gold coin to give me back the 6 copper coins. That meant that the currency of this world likely worked in 10s. 10 coppers for a silver coin and 10 silver coins for a gold one. Good to know.

"When you're finished with your meal, just give me a shout and I'll bring your room key over."

I distractedly nod at Earnest, although my attention is swiftly taken by the second bowl of onion gratin soup Lina places before me.

* * *

As Earnest promised, the bedroom was clean. There was a neatly made-up bed at the center of the room. To the right side of the bed, there was a small desk with a pitcher of water beside it, likely intended for a late-night drink. There was also a washroom with a latrine at the end of the hall, which surprisingly had a shower and plumbing. Thank goodness for that.

I take a seat at the desk before reaching into my inventory for the [Journal] item. In YGGDRASIL, it was a key item that was given to every player in their starter kits. It was also immutable and using it would open a menu that would allow players to write about whatever they wanted. Most people I knew used it for noting down item recipes and the like.

A simple leather-bound notebook appeared in my hand with a feather quill tied to its spine. Opening it revealed empty pages rather than the text window which would normally appear. Unfortunately, I had no ink for the quill, although it didn't hurt to practice writing with it. To my surprise, the first stroke of the quill on the page made a neat line across it. Huh, it must be magic of some kind. Well, that's one less thing I have to look for in the market when I go to restock provisions.

I rip out the now ruined page, but a new one materializes in the book immediately afterward. I can already tell that this item is going to be immensely valuable. If a piece of paper is as costly to make here as it was in the middle ages of my own world then I could probably get away with selling some sheets from this book. Although… I couldn't continue allowing myself to get wrapped up in my thoughts. Sothis always did say that it was a bad habit of mine.

Thinking about Sothis brings my thoughts back to why I took out the [Journal] in the first place. I needed to compile the information I found so far. I begin to take notes with the quill.

**Entry 1:**

_Date: ?_

_-Currently, I am in the capital of the Gaspard Territory in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. There are also two more countries in Fodlan. The Leicester Alliance to the east and the Adrestian Empire to the south._

_-Magic seems to be a widely accepted discipline around here. From the mercenary company accompanying Darius I did not see any mages within them, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all of them were incapable of using magic._

_-Magical tools such as bags with storage expansion or food preservation effects are valuable_

_-With regards to monetary systems, the coinage here seems to work in rules of 10 going in the order of copper, silver, and gold._

_\- On that note, large bullions are worth 5,000 gold coins, while a single YGGDRASIL coin or a "Goddess Crown" is worth 10,000 gold coins._

_-The Church of Seiros seems to be a major social power here in Fodlan from the words of the bandits I met two days ago. Darius also mentioned Goddess Crown's being valued by them. Perhaps another player is somehow involved with them… I'm not inclined to believe that it's Sothis. We disappeared from YGGDRASIL at the same time, so we may have come to this world at the same time as well. Also, Sothis wasn't the type to be huge on religion._

_-If Darius sells the Goddess Crown on the down-low like we agreed to, then hopefully I'll be able to avoid unwanted attention. For now, I do wish to investigate this Church of Seiros. From its name perhaps Faergus is also connected to the Church if it is one of the dominant religions in Fodlan._

_-In the morning I'll ask Earnest about the date and where I can learn more about the Church._

_-In the future I'll continue to use my mage-historian guise when needed._

After penning my final thoughts, I close the journal with a snap. Peeking out of the window in front of the desk reveals the moon high up at the the centermost part of the sky. Stars of blues, yellows, and reds blanketed the sky on its sides. It was beautiful. _I'm sure that Sothis thinks the same._

I rise from my seat and stretch before returning the [Journal] to my [Inventory]. It was time for a much-needed shower and then bed.

* * *

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Ugh, who… A bleary look around reminds me that I'm still in a guest bedroom of _The Broken Breaker_. Sunlight spills brightly in tho the room from the partially opened window curtains. I must have overslept.

 _Knock. Kno-_ "I'm coming just give me a moment!"

I quickly dress into my mage robes from the previous day. I would need to find someplace to wash them later though. I opened the door to my room and was greeted by the second barmaid I saw on the tavern floor last night, a young blonde-haired woman named Elsie.

"Apologies for waking you Miss Libelle but breakfast is about to end. Earnest wanted me to wake you before you missed it completely."

"Thank you. I'll be down soon."

With her task complete Elsie continues down the hall and into the washroom, likely for her cleaning duties. I grab my traveling bag before locking my room and heading downstairs.

"Morning young lass! How'd you like your room?" Earnest smiles widely and gestures to a bowl of porridge placed on the counter of the bar.

"It was nice."

Earnest passes me a spoon and I start to dig in. Like the food from last night, breakfast was also delicious.

"The porridge was great, my compliments to the chef."

"Heh, that would be me this time around. No need to pay though, breakfast is complimentary for our overnight guests."

A quick glance around the tavern floor revealed only a few other guests mingling about for breakfast. I'm a bit curious about why there are so few overnight guests, but perhaps this is simply an unbusy time of the year. I had more important questions for Earnest anyway though.

"What day and year is it." Ugh, that came out more like a statement than a question. I was nowhere near skilled enough in human interaction to weasel the details out of someone who socializes with people every day as a part of his craft though.

Earnest raises his eyebrows in surprise and a bit of confusion. Something must have dawned on him though because his eyes brighten and he begins to chuckle.

"You sure didn't look like it but you must be a lightweight if that mug of mead you had last night caused you to forget the day _and_ the year, especially with all of that eating you did. But because you did ask, today is the 17th of the Harpstring Moon, Imperial Year 1180."

T-this guy! No, he has to know that I was nowhere near drunk last night. Maybe this is his way of giving me a way out for asking such an odd question.

"No need to look like someone's gonna bite you lass, although now I'm even more curious. Let me take a guess…" He leans in to meet my eyes and speaks in a lower tone of voice. "You're an Alliance noble of mixed blood who ran away from home after living a very sheltered life in order to escape an arranged marriage or some other political issue."

Nobility? Marriage? _Do not laugh! Do not-_

Breathe in. Breathe out.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Let's just go with that.

"If you say so, lass. Don't worry I won't spill the beans to your secret." Earnest shrugs but his smug smile made his belief in hitting the nail on the head on the topic of my situation all too clear.

I'm not even going to try to correct him. If that keeps his suspicion of me as far away from my identity as possible then I'll leave him to his whims. With my breakfast now finished I stand up before asking Earnest for a final bit of information.

"Would there happen to be a Church of Seiros in this town?"

Earnest nods as he collects my dishes from the counter.

"The Western Church recently moved into the old Central Church chapel near the center of town. It has a Crest of Cichol on its spire, so you'll be able to spot it easily from outside."

He wipes down the counter with his free hand as he continues.

"If you plan on attending Church services there will be a mass held at noon today. Lina, Elsie, and I will also be attending so the tavern will be closed during that time."

"Thank you."

I tilt my head in thanks at Earnest before making my way outside the tavern.

Outside hazy beams of sunlight along with a cloudy sky greeted me. Perhaps it would rain soon. Compared to last night there were far more townspeople moving about. Although… some seemed to be moving with more urgency than others.

The sound of hooves clicking gently against the cobblestone street echoes from down the road. A covered wagon stops at a blacksmith's shop before workers begin transporting boxes from the shop into the carriage. It was probably a delivery of some kind.

I use a hand to shield my eyes before scanning the skyline. A tall spire with some kind of symbol…. Ah. There it is. In the distance, I could see the church spire Earnest mentioned. At the peak of the spire, the encircled "Crest of Cichol" looked like a mix between a scale and a roman-esque pillar.

With my guide insight, it took me around 8 minutes to reach the church. A quaint market was also located nearby.

A glance at the sun's position allows me to estimate that I had a bit of time left until noon. Now would be a good time to restock on my provisions for the remaining leg of my journey to Arianrod.

By the time I started to finish my final purchase, the sound of bells chiming from the church caught my attention. A large number of residents passed by on the street behind me, surprisingly lively in comparison to the somewhat rigid behavior of some of the working residents. After handing me my change the shopkeeper, a red-haired woman also begins to close up her shop.

Hopefully, participation in mass won't require much of me. With some luck, I may be able to follow the lead of the other worshippers and avoid scrutiny.

Upon stepping into the church my attention was drawn to the sight of sunlight reflecting through stained glass windows and illuminating a large marble statue of a woman. Flanking her were two others: one of a man holding a lance and the other of a young woman cradling a staff.

I choose a seat in a pew closest to the doors. Other residents quickly fill in the empty seats closest to me. Fortunately, none of them spare odd looks towards my unfamiliar presence.

The chiming of the noontime bells softly comes to an end as a priest dressed in ornate white robes approaches the podium at the head of the chapel.

He begins his sermon with a greeting.

"It is by the grace of the goddess and the favor of the Saints that we are able to gather here on this day of rest."

His congregation responds with murmurs of agreement as he opens a tome.

"Today's doctrine will be focused on the teachings of Saint Cichol. If you wish to read along, there are a few copies of the Book of Cichol beneath each pew. We will be starting with his third sermon before moving on to prayers."

I bend over to look beneath the pew I'm seated on. Since I'm sitting at the edge of the row there's a copy on the shelf right below my seat. I place the well-used book onto my lap and open it. From the table of contents, I quickly find the specified page as the priest starts his sermon.

"Saint Cichol's words are those of the land, born of the Goddesses' sacrifice and strength. From adversity, he refined temperance and with his spear he banished avarice…"

_From the will of the Goddess Cichol came into being._

_From his blood first came Cethleann and then the many._

_Of the many, those who bear his crest inherit his blessed power to banish sacrilege._

_Of the many, those who do not bear his crest inherit his will..._

_Remember that the children of Fodlan are all descendants of the Goddess._

_Remember that it is our duty to uphold Saint Cichol's will and to protect this sacred land.._

"Ahem."

My reading was interrupted by the sight of the Priest standing before me. I noticed most of the other residents collecting themselves and preparing to leave now that today's short mass had ended. Some remained in the pews before the statues at the head of the church with their hands locked in prayer. None of them seemed to notice the conversation between the Priest and I. Actually, from his narrowed eyes it seemed that this would be more of a confrontation.

Now that he had my attention, he continued, "I haven't seen you at mass before. You must be new to Aberdeen."

I gently close the Book of Cichol before placing it back on its shelf. I stand up. This way we would be able to speak on more even terms.

"I'm a traveler passing through who wanted to attend mass before continuing on my journey. I hope my presence here didn't cause any inconvenience."

It seems my response wasn't enough to satisfy him since he maintains his frown. In fact, the more he looked at me the more I was able to discern the emotion displayed in his expression. _Disdain._

"While I will not discourage you from attending services I believe that you may have been unaware that there is little point in those with the blood of foreigners doing so. The guidance of the Goddess and her Saints are meant for the people of Fodlan."

The implicit _'and not you'_ in his words is clear. Something deeper than annoyance rises from my turbulent mind. Warmth began to pool in my chest as I smiled back at him.

"Did the Goddess tell you that herself?"

He sputters clearly not expecting me to direct such a question at him. "I'll have you know that you can be imprisoned for such heres-"

**BOOM!**

He flinches as do I and many of the other constituents in the church.

A child cries, frightened by the sudden flash and crack of thunder. The steady drumming of a downpour of rain echoes from outside.

A man quickly approaches the startled Priest and whispers in his ear. Due to my sharper hearing in this body, I was able to catch a snippet of the message.

"Sudden rain… supplies not…reinfor..."

With his attention drawn elsewhere, the Priest still makes sure to throw a glare at me before striding in the direction of a private office located at the back of the church.

I head towards the doors where some townspeople were taking shelter from the sudden downpour. With how I just offended that Priest it may be best for me to leave the city sooner rather than later. Although from what I was able to overhear, whatever that man told the priest seemed as though it was far more important to him than dealing with me. It turns out that only paying for two nights at the inn was a good decision.

I stepped out of the church and into the downpour, raising the hood of my cloak as I did so. I won't bother using magic to prevent myself from getting drenched. That would only prompt the raising of eyebrows when I get back to the inn. I set a brisk pace and reach the inn in less than 5 minutes. Opening the door reveals a waiting Lina with a towel at the ready. From her lack of damp hair, her, Earnest, and Elsie must have left the church before the downpour started.

She hands the towel over to me and I thank her before walking upstairs to my room.

A quick use of [Water Manipulation] removes all of the rainwater from my person to form a glob of water before me. As I take a seat at the desk, I idly let the blob of water twist into various shapes.

Using magic here was almost like breathing water. With a flick of a finger, half of the morphing glob of water merges with the water in the half-filled pitcher on the desk while the other half wets the towel Elsie gave me.

I remove my [Journal] from my [Inventory]. I needed to update it. It's clear that the Priest if not the Westen Church is up to something. Their teachings also require more examination.

From the Western Church's focus on Saint Cichol, it could be possible that different churches focus on different 'Saints' in this world although I still haven't learned much about the 'Goddess.'

With every piece of information I find, I only have more and more questions for this world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter 3! Initially I wanted to do one big 12k chapter, but I decided to split the two chapters in half because of the sheer amount of plot points that would be hit in a single chapter ;.;
> 
> The first Libelle's trials and tribulations is coming in the next update along with a new pov. I'm pretty excited to write it when I get the chance!
> 
> On a final note, I'm also occasionally in that Fire Emblem Treehouse discord server (discord.gg/9XG3U7a) which I'm sure y'all have seen around in other fics too. I may or may not occasionally drop snippets in it :p.


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